All Russian Casinos Due to Close in July

In Russia, there are 30 casinos and more than 500 slot machine halls in Moscow alone, but according to news site TheIndependent.co.uk, a law implemented on Jul. 1 will see every single one being shut down. All casinos in the entire country will be banned from this date, and in their place Russian officials have promised four Vegas-style gambling zones across the country. This action was taken to move gambling away from major city centres and towns, and bring business and tourism to other areas in need of it.

This sounds all well and good, poker players can just divert their game to other areas. The problem is that these zones which are to appear in Kaliningrad, Siberia, Pacific Coast, and near the Black Sea, do not currently exist and we are now only a few short weeks away from D-day.

Although it has been three years since this plan was announced, it now looks as if there will be mass unemployment if these zones do not soon appear. The fact that the crucial part of this plan has not yet been implemented could be due to unstable economic conditions. Samoil Binder of the Russian Association for the Development of the Gambling Business, said, “The cost of building will be at least $40 billion (£24bn), meaning we’d need 35 years to break even, and that’s assuming that the profits of these new zones will be the same as in Moscow, which is unlikely."

In Russia, poker is categorised as a sport, so there could now be a spurt of “Poker Sports Clubs” or “Private Members Clubs” as can be found in other countries. The Gaming Business Association said casinos which became poker rooms would not be breaching the new rules. “This game doesn’t have any connection to the gambling business, since in sports poker the players are competing against one another not the casino.” However, officials say that games of chance will not be allowed in such places, and alcohol and cigarettes will be forbidden also.

Perhaps, most believed the plan would never come into fruition, but the Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Baidakov squashed any hope of this when he said that any casino that failed to shut down by the end of the month would face legal action.

Only time will tell if the plan will be postponed, or if the country now faces a surge in both unemployment and illegal gambling and poker dens.

Related Articles

New Report Details Major Siberian Poker Bot Operation

Ukraine Bans Online Gambling For Soldiers

SEC Fines PokerStars Owner Over Russian Ties

Most Viewed Articles